verb
reprieve
rih-PREEV
verb
1
To cancel or delay a punishment, especially an execution.
"The governor reprieved the prisoner just hours before the scheduled execution."
2
To give someone temporary relief from something difficult or unwanted.
"The rain reprieved the firefighters after days of brutal heat."
noun
1
A cancellation or postponement of a punishment, or more generally, temporary relief from something unpleasant.
"The factory workers got a last-minute reprieve when the closure was postponed."
How to Use Reprieve
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA delay or escape from punishment, or a welcome break from hardship.
Easily confused with
reprise
Common pairings
a stay of execution
temporary reprieve
grant a reprieve
Word Forms
reprieved past tense, reprieves plural, reprieves singular
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Etymology
First recorded around 1513, likely from Middle French repris ("taken back"), related to reprendre ("to take back") — a cousin of "reprise."